Day 14 France:St Cirq Lapopie A town of Artists.

Posted bysandyroybessandbugzyPosted inAutumn in Italy 2022, France October 2021
By Shelly…
Farewell to Rocamandour where they were ballooning at sunset yesterday evening and this morning at about 9am. After travelling for 2 hours we reached St Cirq Lapopie.
Lapopie’s natural viewing point with the church in the background
and a sighting of the river Lot through pale Toadflax, the small blue flowers,
and the silvery pale green leaves of Hoary Mullein, which was growing here and there.
Then from this vantage point too there was a good part of this medieval village to see. Quite a number of prominent artists call this home.
Roy, Bess and I were enjoying these streets when I wandered into one of the display areas of an artist’s studio. I was looking around when I noticed a large painting over the mantelpiece. It was a self portrait but with three hands one outside the painting. I heard the sound of creeking floor boards turned and right in front of me was a familiar face perhaps with quite a few years added. It was the artist. I said it was interesting to see three hands and was told in a very gentle manner there were four. I really couldn’t see the fourth. My mind went back to my father-in-law with his 3 to 1 theory and I smiled. The artist then patiently showed it to me. I asked for a picture and he said No and showed me the sign. I left him amicably showing appreciation for his art work. We then went on to discover the church and views from vantage points high up. On the way back I saw a poster of the picture I had seen took a photo of it and another of the garden entrance. As I took these I stepped back and who was there but the gaunt figure of the gentle artist. I showed him the picture I had just taken. “My house” he said and then he kept looking at the village pictures. He then indicated stop and chose the one I particularly liked too. It was taken in the church with the sun in a perfect position for the stained glass windows.
The poster of the large painting I saw in the artist’s studio. The fourth hand is a mirror image he said or I think he said.
The picture through the gate from the road that we chatted about.
We agreed that this was “liked”. I liked it because it had both the colourful reflection of stained glass on a person and the floor as well as the sun shining through the alter window. This village was voted in 2012 as a favourite by the French. It certainly was in a secluded place and with a time of its own.
This seems to be like a post script but I do like chairs. In a side Chapel of the church I sat for a while on one of these rush seats, low chairs with very high backs and found them comfortable. Not that I needed such a high back but being quite short the short legs of the chair made them pleasant to sit on.
…for Sandy

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